Sunderland closing on in shock striker transfer breakthrough as French forward heads for Wearside

Sunderland are in advanced talks to sign French forward Wilson Isidor.

The former Monaco youngster, 23, currently plays for Zenit St Petersburg after a productive spell at Lokomotiv Moscow earlier in his career. Zenit’s CEO has been quoted on Tuesday stating that the forward is headed for Wearside, and The Echo understands that this is accurate.

The exact terms of the deal are not currently known but it reports have suggested that it is likely to be a loan deal with an option to buy. Isidor only officially joined Zenit on a permanent basis in July of this year, after an obligation-to-buy clause was triggered following his season-long loan from Lokomotiv.

Sunderland have been searching for a new striker with more senior experience than their current options. It’s not yet clear what if any impact this will have on the pursuit of SM Caen forward Alexandre Mendy, whose agent again reiterated on Tuesday that the player wanted a move to Wearside.

Head coach Regis Le Bris said at his press conference ahead of the game with Sheffield Wednesday that he hoped there could be movement in the transfer market this week: “Nothing is close at the moment. We are working really hard, we’re in discussions with many players in and out. We are confident, this market is very difficult, the process is complex but I think we will succeed maybe in the next few days.”